‘Star Wars’ Boba Fett Spinoff to Be Directed by ‘Logan’s James Mangold

As with the previous Star WarsStory, reactions to Solo are pretty…unenthusiastic…leading many fans and critics to ponder if Lucasfilm should even continue with this whole spinoff thing. Seemingly sensing a disturbance in the Force, Lucasfilm is doing their best to restore balance by hiring James Mangold to direct a Boba Fett spinoff.

While we wait to find out if the studio will get it together and just make a damn Lando Calrissian movie with Donald Glover (instead of a pair of potential Solo sequels), The Hollywood Reporter brings word of an exciting development: Logan director James Mangold has signed on to write and direct a spinoff centered around fan-favorite bounty hunter character Boba Fett.

X-Menfranchise writer and Dark Phoenix director Simon Kinberg was previously rumored to be working on a Boba Fett standalone movie, and THR speculates that these may be connected as Mangold worked closely with Kinberg on Logan.

Boba Fett’s standalone project is one of a few Star Wars spinoffs in the works; Stephen Daldry remains in talks to direct an Obi-Wan Kenobi movie, though a writer has yet to be hired for that project.

Mangold’s hiring inspires complicated feelings: Although I admire his work and particularly adored Logan, he’s still…a white man. And despite Kathleen Kennedy’s repeated assurances that they will hire a woman to direct a Star Wars movie, there is little evidence to suggest that they are actively working to achieve this goal. (Announcing the hiring of Jon Favreau to develop a live-action series on International Women’s Day was especially crummy.)

On the other hand, Lucasfilm doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to hiring filmmakers with distinctive styles and visions, and while I am definitely interested in seeing a James Mangold-directed Boba Fett movie, there’s a decent chance it might never happen.